Revisiting the JFK Library + Museum...

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum was built on a ten-acre site at the Columbia Point Peninsula, overlooking the Boston harbor and the ocean beyond.

Completed in 1979 by I.M. Pei & Partners, the Library and Museum complex commemorates the nation's thirty-fifth president with a museum and administrative areas below a soaring nine-story glass pavilion. A space-frame structural system enables the extensive glazing that opens the space to the beautiful view of the harbor, with the intent of enabling contemplation and reflection.

From the architect, I.M. Pei: "In the skyline of his city, in the distant horizons toward which he led us, in the canopy of space into which he launched us, visitors may experience revived hope and promise for the future." 

For further information on the building, its history, current exhibitions and more, visit the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum website.

Inspired by Craft...

The 1967 classic, How to Wrap 5 Eggs, by Hideyuki Oka was the source of inspiration for last week's guest post at Inspired Design Daily.  The traditional Japanese art of packaging, with the focus on function and aesthetics, realized through the creative use of natural materials, is simply beautiful.  Even the most humble or ordinary of objects can be made more personal and meaningful, and this post addresses how the act of making enables creativity, as well as provides a means for connecting with those around us.

The movement celebrating the handmade is gaining momentum, with the increasing number of fairs and expos featuring everything from clothing to art, with items sold directly from the maker to the consumer.  The cultural shift towards conscious consumerism is a positive one, empowering not only the purchaser and creator, but the community at large...  

So, in case you missed last Thursday's guest post at Inspired Design Daily, make sure to stop by and take a look at some of the ways the art of craft affects us in a multitude of ways.

Common Ground + the Meaning of Home

For fourteen years, photojournalist Scott Strazzante, a Pulitzer prize-winning photographer at the Chicago Tribune, tracked the evolution of a typical Illinois family farm through its transformation into a suburban subdivision. With housing sprawl replacing grazing land and a Walmart built on open fields where crops once grew, this award-winning documentary depicts a phenomenon all too familiar in rural areas. In doing so, it conveys the multi-faceted and dynamic nature of place, land use, and identity.

Strazzante documents the stories of the people affected by change through the use of parallel imagery and accompanying commentary from both families who have lived at the site over the past decade and a half- the Cagwins, the original owners/farmers and the Grabenhofer family, the current homeowners living in the new tract community. The simultaneously personal and pragmatic issues faced by both families, when juxtaposed alongside one another, invokes a re-evaluation of the meaning of home, community, and the American condition. A preview of the 7 1/2 minute film can be viewed below, and click here for the full-length version.

What is particularly unique about this format is that it does not convey an opinion, judgement or specific message- it simply documents the history of a place through the images and words of those who have inhabited it. This methodology leaves viewers to interpret the cultural and environmental implications of America's changing landscapes for themselves.

An innovative means of storytelling, this film is not only a moving portrait of two families, but a catalyst for increasing awareness of social and economic equity, while highlighting the complexities inherent in addressing land use issues in conjunction with environmentalism, culture, and ecology. To learn more and share your thoughts on this film, click on the image below.

Regardless of one's opinion or position on the subject, the disappearance of the traditional small farm in America, as depicted through the story of this piece of land in Illinois, will, at the very least, get you thinking about development and how America's future can be shaped by our needs and decisions... And that's a pretty good place to start.

New Laguna Renderings

Greetings...  

For this portfolio preview, we've included a few schematic renderings for a new, collaborative project in Laguna Beach.  Located on one of Laguna's hillside neighborhoods, the sloping site and lot configuration, as well as existing conditions and context, are key elements in determining sustainable design opportunities for this multi-level home, which include rammed earth construction and a green roof system. 

Thanks for visiting, and stop by soon for more project updates as we make progress on this exciting, unique and sustainable residence...

Remembrance + Public Spaces

The 9/11 Memorial is scheduled to open this fall, followed by the Memorial Museum in 2012, so we thought we'd revisit the plans, designs and history of the development progress at the site of the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan.

Two components of the overall master plan, the entire site will include a series of buildings, featuring the 1,776 feet tall 1 World Trade Center (formerly known as the ‘Freedom Tower’), as well as a transportation hub by Santiago Calatrava and new Performing Arts Center.

Given the controversy and debate that has surrounded the project for years, this fall’s opening of the Memorial represents a significant step forward since the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) and the Port Authority selected architect Daniel Libeskind’s ‘Memory Foundations’ plan for the Freedom Tower almost ten years ago.  With a revised plan approved by developers and stakeholders in 2006, the construction efforts have since accelerated and enabled significant progress at the site.  

The upcoming opening of the memorial, Reflecting Absence, represents not only one of the most historic moments in U.S. history, but an achievement in collaboration, communication, and community involvement, integral to this type of complex decision-making process.

Designed by Michael Arad and Peter Walker, the memorial will serve as both a national landmark and a space for personal contemplation, reflection, and remembrance.  The accompanying museum, by Davis Brody Bond, LLP, will feature interactive exhibits of personal stories of survivors and responders through displays, artifacts, and informational exhibits aimed to educate, enlighten, and inform visitors.  An entry pavilion to the mainly subterranean space incorporates elements of the original structure as a tangible memory of what once was, further heightening this connection to place, history, and our collective consciousness.

Renderings:  Squared Design Lab (911memorial.org)

The design for Reflecting Absence was chosen from over 5,000 design entries, and the courtyard is the central element of the entire site.  Encompassing an eight-acre portion of land, the memorial consists of hundreds of oak trees surrounding twin reflecting ponds at the towers' locations, with low walls inscribed with the names of victims of the 2001 and 1993 attacks.  The physical and emotional voids created by the tragedy on 9-11 are symbolically represented by the thirty-foot deep pools encircled by the names of lives lost, creating a visual and emotional manifestation of this world-changing event.

image:  lowermanhattan.info

Above is a view of the construction progress at the site as of May 2011.  We're looking forward to following the project's development and seeing the finished product.  We'll keep an eye out for updates, news, and the latest progress at this historic site.  As always, thanks for reading...

On Science, Learning + Making...

So many potential issues to discuss with regard to this Ted Talk:  technology, social equity, the value of making + creating, learning styles, educational engagement, design, reuse, and of course, architecture.

However, it truly speaks for itself and provides a great mid-week dose of inspiration.

Enjoy!